Dream Scholarship Winners 2025

The Merrill Law Dream Scholarship

We are happy to announce the Dream Scholarship Winner for 2025. First we will share a little bit of information about this award.

The Dream Scholarship was started in 2016 to help support the dreams of a current high school or college student looking to make a difference through the pursuit of their passion.

Applicants were asked to submit an image with a caption that in combination shares their dream and shows how it makes a difference.

Each year we present a $1500 scholarship to applicant who provides the most creative photo or image with a caption to explain their dream.

We are happy to announce that we have two winners.

Payton Langum, dreams of being a Therapist.

This photo of me looking into the sunset represents the calm and clarity I hope to bring others as a future therapist.

My inspiration comes from the people around me who have silently struggled with mental health. Friends, family, and even myself. Seeing the power of simply being heard made me want to be someone who listens.

I’m planning to major in psychology and focus on therapy, and I’ve already started researching courses that will help me achieve my dreams.

I believe the difference will begin the moment I sit across from my first client and they feel safe enough to open up. Over time, I hope to help many people find strength, peace, and healing.

This dream matters deeply to me because mental health is just as important as physical health, yet it’s often overlooked or stigmatized.

I want to help change that. I came to this goal through my own quiet moments, especially while watching sunsets in Washington, where I’ve always felt a sense of peace and perspective. Those moments reminded me that I want to be a source of calm for others too. Someone who can help guide them through life’s storms with compassion and understanding.

Michal Ruiter, dreams of being a Diesel Mechanic.

Who: Throughout the past year as I started working at Martin’s Feed in their shop, my dad has been the person who has encouraged me every step of the way.
What: This next year I will be continuing to work in our shop as well as attending Bellingham Technical College as a part of their diesel technician program.
When: After I finish my certification at Bellingham Technical College, I will be starting the transition into becoming head mechanic at Martin’s Feed.
Why: This is something that really brings me joy and has shown me I can do a lot more than I ever thought I could before.
How: Last year after discovering that what I had been planning on pursuing wasn’t going to be a good fit for me I spent a long time unsure of what I wanted to do.

I was mildly interested in mechanics and asked my dad if I could work in his shop just to try it out and make some extra money while I was at it. I quickly fell in love with it however and soon decided that this is what I wanted to pursue.

Congratulations to both of our winners.

Thank you to all of our applicants. We wish you the best as you move forward in life.

Follow along with Merrill Law

To see other opportunities that are available to help in our local community. We are planning a Shred Event and Food Drive in January 2026.

Want To Hear More From Merrill Law.

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   Shajn Bakhit 
 October 9, 2026
 
 
  I highly recommend Merrill Law! I had a traffic ticket with multiple charges totaling over $700, and they were able to get all of the charges dismissed! I am beyond grateful for their help and the amazing outcome. They were professional, helpful, and made the whole process much less stressful. I truly appreciate everything they did for me. Thank you so much, Merrill Law! Definitely a 5-star experience!
  
 
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   Jose Baez 
 September 26, 2026
 
 
  Excellent firm to work with got my speeding ticket dismissed highly recommend
  
 
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   Nikhil Kalia 
 September 16, 2026
 
 
  Highly recommended never visited everything done on call thank you
  
 
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   Mohammed Muktadir 
 September 11, 2026
 
 
  They were very straight forward and easy to communicate with. I had a pending deferral speeding ticket which i did my community service hours for and did the 4 hour arive at 25 class to get dismissed. But while I was doing that, I got a second speeding ticket and I was worried it will void my deferred ticket. But they got it dismissed. Thank you very much.
  
 
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   Shannon Jackson 
 September 6, 2026
 
 
  He’s like Santa for speeding tickets.

Anytime someone says they got a ticket, I always tell them “I got a guy”
  
 
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   Nathan Turner 
 September 6, 2026
 
 
  My son got his first speeding ticket. We called these guys and sent them a photo of the ticket. They took care of everything and got the ticket dismissed. Lucky kid. Hope he learned his lesson...
  
 
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   Kymberly Hoyle 
 September 3, 2026
 
 
  I have gone through Merrill Law 3 times now for speeding violations and expired tabs and they are efficient and super easy to work with every time. Reece is fantastic and communicative. I highly recommend them as they have saved me a lot of money in the end.
  
 
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   Jamie Lee Fada 
 September 3, 2026
 
 
  I have used Merrill Law several times from speeding tickets to HOV violations. Everyone has been dismissed. I can't reccomend them enough.
  
 
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   Laura Taylor 
 August 18, 2026
 
 
  Going to Merrill Law was one of the best decisions I could have made. From start to finish, their team was kind, professional, helpful, and excellent at communicating throughout the process. I truly appreciated their support and would highly recommend Merrill Law to anyone in need of their services.
  
 
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   Xavier Hecker 
 August 17, 2026
 
 
  Second speeding ticket in a row dropped, and I never had to step foot in a court room.
  
 
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   Matthew Matyuk 
 August 15, 2026
 
 
  Great experience, big thanks, ticket dismissal went smoothly.
  
 
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   Jordan Cabral 
 August 14, 2026
 
 
  Huge thank you to Reece Merrill for helping me resolve an issue with the Department of licensing. He was so quick to help me fix what seemed to be an overlook on the DOL’s part. I highly recommend him to anyone who needs legal help big or small.
  
 
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   edgar guzman 
 August 12, 2026
 
 
  This place is amazing. They had a super simple process, provided clear instructions, and were able to get a speeding ticket dismissed, FAST!
  
 
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   Nancy Roach 
 August 12, 2026
 
 
  Merrill law saved the day, I will highly recommend. All I had to do was stop in and tell them I needed help they did EVERYTING else!!
  
 
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   Jasmine Bahena 
 August 4, 2026
 
 
  I had a great experience with Merrill law and would recommend them to anyone!